I Refused To Be Reincarnated-Chapter 702: Beneath the Village Facade

With Wei holding Qing and both safely hidden from the eyes of the world, Adam returned to the village gates, where the same guard he had spoken to paced under the rain.

Mud soaked his pants with every step, yet he was too engrossed in his mumbled anxieties to notice. "This cultivator brat said we’ll meet in an hour. Yet, boss Hu has been waiting for another one and a half already. Do you want to see my head on a spike?!" He clutched his neck, swallowing in horror. "Please, return..."

His words died down in his throat, his attention captured by a mysterious phenomenon. The rain arched over an unblemished silhouette, as if unwilling to smear its owner.

He blinked once, then twice, before his eyes widened on Adam’s purple and dark robes covered in intricate golden stars and patterns. Instantly, he waved his hand, his lips curling into a relieved smile. "Sir cultivator! Here! Boss Hu is waiting for you inside!"

Adam approached, smiling sheepishly. "Hahaha. I hope I didn’t make either of you wait. Finding the girl’s parents took a little longer than expected, but it’s all settled now."

"I... see." The guard nodded halfheartedly. "Of course, you didn’t make me wait, and your good deed honors you. Follow me. Boss Hu is impatient to meet you."

Adam let out a hollow chuckle and followed the guard into the resting room he had passed by earlier.

The makeshift militia members played dice around cups of wine, their voices dropping to a whisper as soon as they saw him. They rose, lowering their heads slightly in respect, admiration, and a sliver of fear as they entered a side room guarded by five burly men.

Adam took his time to enter, allowing his invisible partners to pass through the door before the guard who led him inside hurriedly closed it from outside.

’Weird. Is he not allowed to listen, or too scared to be reprimanded because we ran late?’

It didn’t really matter, though. What did, however, was to dismantle the child trafficking network, starting with Hu.

Smirking, he gave the office a cursory glance, noticing two coarse chairs before a broad desk covered in stacks of papers. They released a soft scent of fresh ink, as if the man seated at the other side had been working before he entered.

The flickering candle light reflected on Hu’s bald head as his bushy brows furrowed on Adam. His dark eyes sparkled in recognition once they trailed to the robes. No doubt possible, a cultivator—a powerful one, considering the fabric and embroidery. Yet, that’s exactly why his frown deepened.

He rose to his feet and gestured to the chair with an amiable smile. "Welcome, dear cultivator. I’m Hu, this town’s chief. But others tend to call me boss Hu for reasons I’m still trying to grasp. Please, take a seat and tell me more about you. Which elder sent you, and why..." He drummed on the desk, his voice subtly hardening. "Aren’t you wearing the Verdant Peak sect’s red robes?"

Adam lingered for a second, leaning to the side. Of course, he was listening to Wei, who muttered in his ears. "They wear brown robes covered in lush leaf patterns. Be careful, Adam. Hu didn’t reach his position by luck. He’s suspicious and sharp."

What did he have to be careful of when he could slap the man into oblivion? It would lengthen his investigation, though.

With a sigh, he decided to play by the rules and sat. Then, he returned Hu’s politeness. "If the others call you boss, I’ll do the same if it doesn’t trouble you. First of all, I must say I’m delighted to meet a sharp man. However, your little test lacks finesse."

His eyes narrowed into threatening slits. "Anyone who investigated the glorious Verdant Peak sect would know they wear brown robes covered in leaf patterns. Why am I not wearing them?"

He patted his chest, ruffling the robes the void emperor had once worn—the robes of a Dao ancestor. "Aren’t these better, and am I not authorised to wear something else for an undercover mission? I mean, you know better than I that our little transactions must remain secret. So, do I stop here, or will you humiliate the sect with your suspicions? Oh, by the way, I’m Adam."

Hu froze for a second before letting out a heavy sigh. This cultivator brat’s wording made refuting a gamble, especially with how much sects valued reputation. On the other hand, Adam hadn’t revealed which elder sent him, yet he was right about the secretive nature of their deals. There were few chances the information leaked, and even less for a cultivator from a distant sect to provoke the Verdant Peak and its five experts.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded. "I’m sorry about that. You know how it is for us commoners. Dealing with powers we can’t comprehend has made us overly cautious."

"Which is not a flaw, and I see you need a little more to be entirely convinced." Adam grinned. "Know that I visited the Witch of the West before coming."

"You did?" Hu’s eyes widened before his lips curled into a genuine smile.

That lunatic kills anyone unrelated to the sect on sight. Returning alive from the northern woods was proof enough. Now, he could finally get rid of this annoying shipment.

"Please follow me, sir." He picked up the candle burning on the desk, then moved to the wall.

With a few precise pushes, a glowing formation emerged on it. Another combination of pushes made the wall groan as the stones parted like an opening curtain.

Adam watched with interest as the candle illuminated a flight of stairs. He could only see several steps before darkness reclaimed their rights, as if the stairs led far into the village’s depths.

Their steps echoed for a minute, then two, confirming his suspicions. The air became heavier, carrying a putrid stench to his nose until they finally met solid ground after five minutes spent in oppressive silence.

The candle illuminated moss-covered walls and a jagged tunnel that looked more like the mouth of a ravenous beast than an entrance. Or perhaps the gates to hell for the children who had crossed it.

No matter which one was true, Adam’s lips twisted into a grimace as he continued inside.

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶